The Virus, the Media, and John Key
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Acknowledgement: @komerata
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“People are crying on TV and on radio stations, every single day, because they are stateless, they cannot come back to New Zealand.” – John Key, ex-Prime Minister, “Morning Report”, RNZ
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The crocodile tears flew – albeit briefly – on RNZ’s “Morning Report” on 27 September, by ex-Prime Minister ex-Merril Lynch ‘banker’, and still-practicing smiling assassin, John Key.
The interview with Corin Dann showed a side of Key not often seen by the Great Unwashed Masses; condescending; quick to anger; and irritable at being questioned. His defensiveness was over the publication of his op-ed in no less than four major daily newspapers was either fortuitously achieved – or with great precision-planning and with the witting or unwitting collusion of the media involved.
This screen-cap from The Spin-Off (with associated excellent satirical piece, lampooning Key’s dangerous ‘reckons’) showed the four dailies involved in the synchronised, targetted release of the agit-prop article he purportedly wrote:
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The lampooning of Mr Key’s reckons – by Spinoff editor Toby Manhire – is pure cutting satire and the only possible way to deal with the ill-informed pronouncements of a man who was, at best, a mediocre prime minister and achieved nothing except a failed flag referendum; tax cuts for the rich; and a novel – if utterly barmy – idea of a sheep farm in the middle of the Saudi desert. (Who knew sheep preferred to eat grass, instead of sand?)
My ex-journo friend wondered:
“I see Key is also sounding off in the Sunday Herald as well. His business mates are likely channeling through him rather than coming out and saying anything directly so as to protect themselves from public backlash.”
Unfortunately,Mr Key’s (?) op-ed was not the first to be platformed in the mainstream media.
As has been pointed out by many on social media – and by my ex-journalist friend – it is almost as if the public are being “softened up”.
But softened-up for what?
The mainstream media has – and currently still is – flooding their platforms with “Open Up” (current version of Plan Bers) demands from business lobbyists, sports people, and a bunch of Kiwis who have the crazy notion that travelling overseas during a raging pandemic – or bringing in a flood of tourists and migrant workers – is a jolly good idea.
It’s like a small – but increasing vociferous number – have not been paying attention to New South Wales, Fiji, Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, and practically almost everywhere else on this planet. And every time platformed and amplified almost wholly uncritically by every media outlet in the country.
Including, bizarrely, state-owned, non-commercial, Radio NZ. (The profit motive may not apply to RNZ’s corporate structure, but personal career advancement might play a role.)
Only Stuff media has published an op-ed questioning this current, relentless push to live (ie, die) with covid:
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Yes, Dominion Post editor, Anna Fifield, has called it: Aotearoa New Zealand is not North Korea. Not even close. In fact, contrary to our geographically-confused American cuzzies’ belief, we are not Australia either.
North Korea. Australia. Aotearoa New Zealand. Three different countries.
You can tell they are different: we make a better Flat White and our rugby team is the best of all three. (Does North Korea even play rugby? Ask John Key: he seems up with communist dictatorships.)
Unfortunately, for Ms Fifield, there was a very brief comment in her 27 September editorial, where she admits:
“And we in the Wellington newsroom of Stuff have been actively reporting about the impact of our system on businesses, including the tech sector, and the long-term economic ramifications of it.“
Not only is she correct, but every other mainstream media (msm) in the country has been fulsome in “actively reporting the impact of our system on businesses“. Reporting every day. On every TV news and current affairs broadcast. On every radio station, including non-commercial RNZ. In every newspaper and probably most magazines.
Relentlessly.
Often repetitively – in case we missed it the first time:
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Interesting how categories of the three, related stories above went from “Health/Politics” to “Business/Covid19“. When did Covid19 cease to be a Health issue for RNZ?
In fact, unless you stopped reading; scrolling, listening, and watching, the entire nationwide msm spectrum – you’d be hard-pressed not to be informed of “the impact of our system on businesses“.
To describe the msm as business-friendly propaganda would be apt, probably even under-stated.
Only communist nations have broadcast “positive” aspects of their economic system as constantly; widely; repetitively, and incessantly. (Yes, Ms Fifield, I have lived under a communist system. For about eleven months, in the late 1970s) in my parents homeland, the Hungarian People’s Republic, governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party.)
The only way to avoid the incessant bombardment of negativity; whining; hysterical pleas to “open up”; never-ending stream of stressed businesspeople; onslaught of ‘heart-string’ stories of New Zealanders trapped overseas (often after voluntarily travelling overseas since March last year) – is to avoid the msm altogether.
This blogger switched off all electronic media for three days during last year’s Level 4 lockdown.
This year, the off-switch was flicked for RNZ’s “Checkpoint“, which had seemingly perfected whinging and negativity to a fine art. This blogger ceased listening for about a week and a half, until Aotearoa New Zealand (minus Auckland) dropped to Level 2.
And what was the first story on “Checkpoint” on 8 September, the first full day of Level 2?
Guess…
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Yup. They just couldn’t help themselves, could they? The very first story: a business whinge.
I switched of.
If RNZ has become a subsidiary of the National Business Review, we certainly missed that memo.
Following John Key’s first salvo of op-eds, he was followed by Richard Prebble, Paul Henry, and Steven Joyce (on tediously numerous occassions). All three thankfully paywalled. The term male, pale, and stale has never felt more appropriately descriptive.
Mr Joyce’s reference to the current “Jacinda Ardern Government getting too big for its bossy boots” was a bit rich, considering his decidely authoritarian-flavoured comment to tertiary students almost exactly decade ago:
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Minister to students: ‘keep your heads down’
NZ Herald – 27 Sep, 2011 11:39 AM – By Claire Trevett
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce has warned protesting university students to keep their heads down lest they draw attention to their relatively privileged position in hard economic times.
Asked about the student protests at Auckland University yesterday, Mr Joyce said university students had 75 per cent of the tuition subsidised on average and benefited from interest-free student loans.
“My general advice to NZUSA (NZ Union of Students’ Associations) on the cost of living for students is to keep your heads down because actually most people probably think you’re doing OK.”
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The steady stream of debilitating, depressing media negativity has not gone unnoticed by many fellow New Zealanders (including my own partner and other close friends and work colleagues – most of whom are sick of it all). Social media is full of people expressing their weariness of msm negativity:
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Fair minded KIwis are sick to death with the barrage of MIQ and stranded traveller sob stories Kiwis have had opportinities over 500 days to get back to NZ . Those that went to Australia were pre-warned by PM Ardern flyer beware and get back on red flights or risk being stranded – 8:43 AM · Sep 16, 2021
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This genius departed for the USA to work in a summer camp on 13 June, and now can’t get a spot in MIQ, seriously? https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/300408053/american-dream-turns-into-nightmare-for-new-zealander-desperate-to-return-home – 9:57 AM · Sep 16, 2021
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There’s no money in stories about Kiwis just getting on with it… Which is kind of sad… – 6:37 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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I deleted the Stuff app from my phone over this. (deleted NZ Herald a year ago) – 10:55 AM · Aug 30, 2021
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Yep, for the first time in my life I’ve stopped checking in on media sites – their clickbaity, dramatised headlines are all too often misleading and unnecessarily distressing. I figure if anything important happens, I’ll hear about it pretty quickly here, and with some nuance. – 8:37 AM · Aug 30, 2021
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Yep, feeling pretty much the same way. The constant negativity and political twattery all for the sake of scoring points is exhausting. I know that they don’t talk for the majority but their voices are so much louder than everyone else’s… – 1:33 PM · Aug 30, 2021
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My feelings exactly. I’m exhausted by the media negativity. – 7:42 AM · Aug 30, 2021
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So agree. The only thing that gets me angry is the platforming of RW, business viewpoints that just see workers as grist for their mills. – 10:59 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Delete any app that bring news. Mute those outlets’ accounts. I did, and it helps. – 11:29 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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The equivalent of “some people say” and/or using their opinion writers as speaking for the nation while the nation is saying “who writes this shit”? – 9:37 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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to be fair to the media I think there’s a fair amount of them (outside of Granny, obvi) who do support the strategy, they just want more accountability and more preplanning, which is hard to argue against. The vaccine catastrophizing is utterly ridiculous though, lol. – 6:40 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Totally agree, it is really depressing being bombarded every day by sniping & negativity. Do they know that this is the effect they are having? – 8:51 AM · Aug 30, 2021
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Remember by their own fruition the majority of NZ’s mainstream media are HQed in Auckland.
They gutted regional newsrooms & shut down external studios to base everything there.
Now the chickens have come home to roost & Auckland gets a month-longer lockdown than everyone else! –
7:34 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Couldn’t agree more! I’m not fed up at all…except with the crappy media! Kiwis have got this! Around 85% thought we were right to lock down and since there is light at the end of the tunnel, why stop now!? – 11:27 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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It’s such a crack up when they have a story with a mayor or a business leader going on about how unhappy everyone is and then they cut to interviews in the street and the people they speak to are overwhelmingly for what we are doing. – 6:41 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Actually I am over it, I’m over the media telling me what I feel despite it not being anywhere near what I infact feel – 8:36 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Well, we are totally fed up….. with the media that is. I’m definitely over people with no health qualifications pontificating about how we ‘just need to live with it’ – 7:51 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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The media need to take along hard look at themselves. I am totally fed up with opinion posing as journalism, reckons as facts, completely over it. – 10:13 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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The thing is “NZ media” as it relates to Covid is the press gallery, whose world revolves around listening to stand ups and having to interview the opposition for their daily shit takes. It’s no wonder their summation is “Kiwis are over it.” I would be too in their shoes. – 10:21 AM · Aug 30, 2021
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I’m so sick of the NZ journalists, fucking depressing bunch and all they want to do is bitch and moan. Meanwhile, the rest of us just get on with it – 7:02 PM · Aug 29, 2021
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Apologies for the long list of comments. Believe me, there were way, way more. The above is only a small, random sampling of comments gleaned from Twitter.
More important from the comments on this issue came from Chloe Ann-King, a spokesperson for hospitality workers and founder of Raise the Bar Hospo Union (RBHU), this salient criticism of the media:
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So not only have media relentlessly amplified business voices – almost always complaining, criticising, and demanding – but inevitably no workers are ever (?) interviewed for their takes.
On 29 August this year, Stuff’s political reporter, Andrea Vance, published an overtly defensive “opinion” piece, dismissing criticism of media coverage of the covid crisis.
In it she opined that scrutiny of the government was an essential role of the media:
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given a spirited defence of her Government’s decisions. She’s more than up to handling the criticism.
Of course, she must exude confidence in the strategy and maintain consistent and clear messaging. But it’s troubling when she says she doesn’t want a debate.
And that makes it even more crucial to have robust scrutiny from outside her inner circle.
Because if they are the right decisions, then they remain the right decisions. Questions and alternative viewpoints won’t change that, and we can be more confident we’re on the right course.
We shouldn’t run from transparent and open debate – scrutiny can only improve the decision-making.”
Few would disagree with that statement.
In fact, it was media scrutiny that revealed severe short-coming in MIQ facilities with security; lack of appropriate PPE gear, and behaviours of some staff which was less than ideal.
This blogger, and most people have no problem with media ensuring that MIQ, vaccinations, and lockdowns are appropriately handled.
We are mature people (generally, with minor exceptions) . We can take information that may be difficult to digest. We want bad news given to us unvarnished, with options for answers.
That is why, as Ms Vance writes – though in a vaguely dismissive way – that we value our scientists and medical personnel with such high regard:
It’s fantastic that the tight circle of academic experts advising the Government make themselves readily available to explain the modelling and the science.
In the pandemic, medical experts (the virologists, epidemiologists, statisticians and modellers) have become our modern-day talisman. It’s a refreshing change from the tendency to devalue expertise seen in recent years.
Physicist and covid-modeller, Shaun Hendy’s participation in the Government’s daily 1PM ‘presser’ on 23 September and Epidemioloist, Rod Jackson appearing on TV3’s Newshub Nation, on 2 October, did not ‘sugar coat’ what we were facing. They were blunt and honest with the facts and possible consequences.
Few people objected and those that did, in one instance, appears to have had a bad case of bruised-egoitis.
But what she and her colleagues fail to utterly comprehend is that it’s not scrutiny of the government that has provoked a torrent of criticism against the media itself.
Criticism – as comments above clearly show – revolve around non-stop, negative stories from business interests; New Zealanders stuck overseas (a number of whom are the authors of their own predicament); naked political opportunism; and giving voice to practically anyone with dissatisfaction. It is repetitive; lacking any real purpose (except click-generating headlines); and – I submit – psychologically detrimental.
Individual journalists and media outlets seem to think that they don’t produce much in the way of negative stories. Perhaps one or two a day? But add all the media outlets together, many with different aspects of an individual organisation (eg; RNZ’s ‘Morning Report‘, ‘Mid Day Report‘, ‘Checkpoint‘, ‘Lately‘); each churning out their own ‘doom n gloom’ stories – and it mounts up very quickly.
Ms Vance and her colleagues are wholly responsible for the material they put out. The public has little in-put into decision-making. The things they write; the stories they publish or broadcast, have content that inevitably has an effect. (Why else preface some stories with warnings of “Content may be disturbing – viewer/reader discretion advised”?)
A constant diet of bad news stories cannot be mentally healthy. Especially to a nation already stressed with hyper-vigilance as covid bangs on our rampart walls. When five million people have experienced massive disruption to their lives with outbreaks; closures of schools and businesses; lockdowns; and advised to stay home – these are all pressures we have to face.
Most do not complain. We do what we must to save lives. We have seen the misery covid19 has caused overseas, bringing even the most powerful nations to the brink of disaster. So we have seen the lessons from overseas and the consequences of failure is not lost on us.
It is already tough-going for many and stressful. Adding the burden of negativity is not only unhelpful, it adds further despondency. It is a slow chipping away of our resolve.
So when we do speak up, it would do the media industry well to listen. After all, are media folk not part of our community?
The whole point of journalism and the media machine is to engage and inform the public (as well as sell toothpaste, pet-food, etc). The moment the public stop listening, reading, because of an onslaught of highly-emotive stories is the point they stop engaging.
When people switch off and refuse to engage any further, journalism has failed us.
The media are not above scrutiny or criticism. Just as politicians are open to scrutiny and criticism. Consider the criticisms – maybe, just maybe, critics have a point?
Think, before you publish yet another carping from Michael Barnett, or a traveller who is stuck in Sydney after the Trans Tasman bubble was closed. Is it really “news”? What will it achieve? Will it inform us? Or is the headline simply geared to attract eyeballs and clicks and bugger the effects it might have on already-stressed people?
If it’s not ‘new’ then maybe it’s not news.
Postscript
Lest this blogger be another cog in the Great Negativity Machine, I point to today’s (3 October) episode of TV One’s Q+A episode.
The show presented critical problems affecting the nation’s vaccination programme. There was vox populi and community workers interviewed. Solutions were suggested and discussed.
No emotion-bombing; no ‘heart string’ stories. No whining from entitled sector lobbyists or ill-informed ‘reckons’.
The viewer was encouraged to engage, listen, and think on what was presented.
The same with the follow-up interview with Air New Zealand CEO, Greg Foran. No whining, no demands, no sense of entitlement; just a basic Kiwi attitude of dealing with the cards that have been dealt, and getting on with it*.
At one point, Q+A host Jack Tame asked Mr Foran’s opinion on government’s elimination strategy;
“Do you think the elimination strategy is sustainable?”
The CEO’s reply?
“Look, Jack, that’s something that probably the scientists and the government need to answer…”
It felt as if we were in a room listening to mature adults.
More of this style of responsible media, please.
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(* Note: Admittedly, Air New Zealand has a billion dollar ‘life line’ with the government. But their potential liabilities can also be measured in the billion-dollar range. That ‘life-line’ can become shortened very quickly; airlines can gobble up hundreds of millions of dollars almost as fast as their jets can fly.)
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References
RNZ: Covid-19 – Young people need some rights taken away to encourage vaccination – Sir John Key (alt.link)
The Spinoff: Ranked – All of today’s op-ed columns by Sir John Key
Stuff media: Anna Fifield – No, Sir John Key, New Zealand is not like North Korea
NZ Herald: Covid-19 Delta outbreak – Retirees stuck in Australia fear being stripped of pensions
RNZ: ‘We need clarity’ for Covid-19 test to cross Auckland border – business owner
RNZ: Orion Health CEO urges revamp of MIQ to allow business travel
RNZ: Business pushing for self-managed isolation for overseas work travel
RNZ: Businesses on home isolation trial – ‘This has been a long time coming’
NZ Herald: Covid Delta outbreak – Richard Prebble – Muldoonism looms large – and that’s a problem
NZ Herald: Paul Henry – I love this country – but I’m not sure I have the heartbeats for it any more
NZ Herald: Steven Joyce – Jacinda Ardern Government getting too big for its bossy boots
NZ Herald: Minister to students – ‘keep your heads down’
Twitter: @MightyBlender –1:19 PM · Aug 12, 2021
Twitter: @_seashelleyes_ – 12:23 PM · Sep 20, 2021
Twitter: @CamDouglasMS – 2:52 PM · Sep 20, 2021
Twitter: @fabtknz – 7:02 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @liberal_owners – 9:07 AM · Aug 26, 2021
Twitter: @MariaSherwood2 – 8:51 AM · Aug 26, 2021
Twitter: @vincristine – 8:37 AM · Sep 26, 2021
Twitter: @DesiCommsMan – 12:52 PM · Sep 24, 2021
Twitter: @BozzyWozzer – 7:25 PM · Sep 26, 2021
Twitter: @mlpgirl77 – 5:27 PM · Sep 26, 2021
Twitter: @cleotibbitts – 8:49 PM · Sep 26, 2021
Twitter: @LetsGetPfizered – 8:43 AM · Sep 16, 2021
Twitter: @RobSuisted – 1:22 PM · Sep 7, 2021
Twitter: @Shawn67586943 – 9:37 AM · Sep 16, 2021
Twitter: @sandzz77 – 10:13 AM · Sep 16, 2021
Twitter: @Tukeke70 – 9:57 AM · Sep 16, 2021
Twitter: @Tikorangi – 9:35 AM · Aug 31, 2021
Twitter: @MarkcyCleary – 9:57 AM · Aug 31, 2021
Twitter: @IdioticTwinkles – 10:09 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @WormwoodNGall – 8:13 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @FoxyLustyGrover – 6:29 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @infinite_ink 6:38 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @SJPONeill – 6:37 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @pet_brain – 10:55 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @Kate_DowlingNZ – 8:37 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @fkleitch – 1:33 PM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @BoxyBristol – 7:42 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @kaffiene_nz – 10:59 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @Writer_Caroline – 11:29 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @Feebeekiwi – 9:37 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @MJWhitehead – 6:40 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @HantonSusie – 8:51 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @NapierinFrame – 7:34 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @Lady__Seraphina – 11:27 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @douggie27 – 6:41 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @js_eighty – 8:36 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @MarieMenzies5 – 7:51 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @gracillus – – 10:13 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Twitter: @platinumpixienz – 10:21 AM · Aug 30, 2021
Twitter: @Hurricane15 – 7:02 PM · Aug 29, 2021
Raise the Bar Hospo Union: About
Twitter: @GGrucilla – 12:09 PM · Oct 2, 2021
Stuff media: If the Government is making the right decisions on Covid-19, it will withstand scrutiny
Coast: Brian Tamaki’s controversial new ‘hot’ advertisement
Ministry of Health: COVID-19 update 23 September 2021
Stuff media: Covid-19 NZ – Rodney Jones says Shaun Hendy’s 7000-death vaccine model doesn’t pass plausibility test
TVNZ: Q+A – 3 October 2021
Twitter: Shaun Hendy – 8:04 AM · Sep 26, 2021
Additional
The Spinoff: New Zealand cannot abandon its Covid elimination strategy while Māori and Pasifika vaccination rates are too low
The Spinoff: Siouxsie Wiles – Why we need to stay the course on elimination
Reference sources
MIQ: History and origins of MIQ
Covid19: History of the COVID-19 Alert System
MBIE: Managed isolation and quarantine data
RNZ: Timeline – The year of Covid-19 in New Zealand
Other Blogs
Bryan Gould: The Herald’s Dilemma
The Daily Blog: John Minto – When will Michael Barnett stop whinging, whining and bleating?
The Standard: Smug hermit king
The Standard: Key’s baaaack
Previous related blogposts
One thousand dead New Zealanders per year?
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Acknowledgement: Guy Body
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Frankly Speaking... 
Always enjoy your well researched and
well argued posts Frank thank you for being a
voice of reason
Thanks, Mac! A few cups of coffee, banging away on the keyboard to the wee hours, and hopefully something coherent comes out.
Let’s see if others’ voices are heard as well by media folk.
I wish he would retire and disappear gracefully. His carsalesman smile creeps me out.